Poem Revision

The Living Photograph

My small grandmother is tall there,

straight-back, white broderie anglaise shirt,
pleated skirt, flat shoes, grey bun,
a kind, old smile round her eyes.
Her big hand holds mine,
white hand in black hand.
Her sharp blue eyes look her own death in the eye.

It was true after all that look.

My tall grandmother became small.
Her back round and hunched.
Her soup forgot to boil.
She went to the awful place grandmothers go.
Somewhere unknown, unthinkable.

But there she is still,

in the photo with me at three,
the crinkled smile is still living, breathing.

Jackie Kay

Practice 1
(a) From Stanza 1, describe what grandmother was wearing.
______________________________________________________________________ [1 mark]
(b) What is the colour of the grandmother’s hair?
______________________________________________________________________ [1 mark]
(c) What does the line ‘her soup forgot to boil’ tell us about the persona’s grandmother?
______________________________________________________________________ [1 mark]
(d) The writer admires her grandmother for her personal qualities.
State one quality and support your answer with evidence from the poem.
Quality : ____________________________________________________________
[1 mark]
Evidence : ____________________________________________________________
[1 mark]

Practice 2
(a) Who are in the photograph?
______________________________________________________________________ [1 mark]
(b) There is one dish mentioned in Stanza 3. What is it?
______________________________________________________________________ [1 mark]
 (c) Why do you think ONLY grandmothers go to ‘the awful places’? State one reason.
______________________________________________________________________ [1 mark]
(d) (i) What does the poem suggest about the emotion of the persona?
__________________________________________________________________ [1 mark]
(ii) If you were the persona, what would you do to overcome this kind of feeling?
___________________________________________________________________ [1 mark]

Practice 3
(a) In Stanza 1, why do you think the grandmother held the persona’s hand?
______________________________________________________________________ [1 mark]
(b) In Stanza 2, which line tells us that the grandmother has passed away?
______________________________________________________________________ [1 mark]
(c) From Stanza 3, why is the smile ‘still living and breathing’?
______________________________________________________________________ [1 mark]
(d) State a way to show kindness to elders. Give a reason for your answer.
Way : ______________________________________________________________ [1 mark]
Reason : ______________________________________________________________ [1 mark]

Practice 4
(a) In Stanza 1, what does the word ‘there’ refer to?
______________________________________________________________________ [1 mark]
(b) The persona and her grandmother are of different races. Which line in Stanza 1 shows
this difference?
______________________________________________________________________ [1 mark]
(c) In Stanza 2, why does the persona’s grandmother become small?
______________________________________________________________________ [1 mark]
(d) Suggest what you can do to foster a good relationship with your family members.
Action : ______________________________________________________________ [1 mark]
Reason : ______________________________________________________________ [1 mark]